N-ways conference system using only participants' telephony devices without external conference server

• US 20060062368A1
• Filed: 09/20/2004
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Shae, Zon-Yin, Saha, Debanjan
• Granted Patent: US 7,496,188 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/202.10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/12 Marking faulty circuits "busy"; Enabling equipment to disengage itself from faulty circuits ; Using redundant circuits; Response of a circuit, apparatus or system to an error
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

An n-ways conferencing system using only the participants'"'"' telephony devices and without an external conference server. A plurality of telephony devices dial in to and report their mixing capability to a connection topology manager. The connection topology manager also determines the location of each telephony device and neighboring telephony device pairs in the conference service, as each telephony device is used for mixing voice signals of its closest neighbors, and calculates a minimum conference traffic delay for each telephony device. The connection topology manager then builds a topology for the conference service based on the mixing capability, location, and minimum conference traffic delay, wherein the connection topology manager distributes a mixing computation in a substantially uniform manner across the plurality of telephony devices. When a change in the network condition is detected, the connection topology manager rebuilds the topology to bypass the change in the network condition.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system for providing a n-ways conferencing, comprising:

receiving requests at a connection topology manager for a conference service from a plurality of telephony devices, wherein at least one of a telephony device in the plurality of telephony devices has three-way mixing capability, and wherein each telephony device in the plurality of telephony devices sends its mixing capability information to the connection topology manager;

determining location information of each telephony device and neighboring telephony devices in the conference service, wherein each telephony device is used for mixing voice signals of its closest neighbors;

calculating minimum conference traffic delay for each telephony device in the conference service; and

building a connection topology for the conference service based on the mixing capability information, location information, and the minimum conference traffic delay, wherein the connection topology manager distributes a mixing computation in a substantially uniform manner across the plurality of telephony devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a change in a network condition; and

rebuilding the connection topology to bypass the change in the network condition.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein rebuilding the connection topology to bypass the change in the network condition is performed using a shadow ring.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the change in the network condition is a telephony device connection failure.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the telephony device connection failure occurs when a participant leaves a conference.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each telephony device sends probes to other telephony devices in the conference service, wherein information from the probes allows the connection topology manager to determine the network condition and minimum conference traffic delay of the conference service.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each telephony device sends a signal to the connection topology manager to inform the connection topology manager that the telephony device'"'"'s connections are functioning properly.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a session initiated protocol is used in building the connection topology.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each telephony device contains its own mixing capability.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the mixing capability is built with one of a hardware chip or software program.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the mixing capability is one of one, three, four, or n-ways.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a telephony device decodes and encodes an incoming voice stream only if voice activity in the telephony device is present in order to improve voice quality by reducing the number of the mixing operations of a given conference.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of telephony devices includes at least one passive telephony device, wherein the at least one passive telephony device cannot accept additional code.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one passive telephony device calls the connection topology manager multiple times to indicate its mixing capability to the connection topology manager.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one passive telephony device is one of a plain old telephone device and a private branch exchange system.

16. A data processing system for providing a n-ways conferencing, comprising:

receiving means for receiving requests at a connection topology manager for a conference service from a plurality of telephony devices, wherein at least one of a telephony device in the plurality of telephony devices has three-way mixing capability, and wherein each telephony device in the plurality of telephony devices sends its mixing capability information to the connection topology manager;

determining means for determining location information of each telephony device and neighboring telephony devices in the conference service, wherein each telephony device is used for mixing voice signals of its closest neighbors;

calculating means for calculating minimum conference traffic delay for each telephony device in the conference service; and

building means for building a connection topology for the conference service based on the mixing capability information, location information, and the minimum conference traffic delay, wherein the connection topology manager distributes a mixing computation in a substantially uniform manner across the plurality of telephony devices.

17. The data processing system of claim 16, further comprising:

detecting means for detecting a change in a network condition; and

building means for rebuilding the connection topology to bypass the change in the network condition.

18. The data processing system of claim 17, wherein rebuilding the connection topology to bypass the change in the network condition is performed using a shadow ring.

19. The data processing system of claim 17, wherein the change in the network condition is a telephony device connection failure.

20. The data processing system of claim 19, wherein the telephony device connection failure occurs when a participant leaves a conference.

21. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein each telephony device sends probes to other telephony devices in the conference service, wherein information from the probes allows the connection topology manager to determine the network condition and minimum conference traffic delay of the conference service.

22. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein each telephony device sends a signal to the connection topology manager to inform the connection topology manager that the telephony device'"'"'s connections are functioning properly.

23. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein a session initiated protocol is used in building the connection topology.

24. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein each telephony device contains its own mixing capability.

25. The data processing system of claim 24, wherein the mixing capability is built with one of a hardware chip or software program.

26. The data processing system of claim 24, wherein the mixing capability is one of one, three, four, or n-ways.

27. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein a telephony device decodes and encodes an incoming voice stream only if voice activity in the telephony device is present in order to improve voice quality by reducing the number of the mixing operations of a given conference.

28. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of telephony devices includes at least one passive telephony device, wherein the at least one passive telephony device cannot accept additional code.

29. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the at least one passive telephony device calls the connection topology manager multiple times to indicate its mixing capability to the connection topology manager.

30. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the at least one passive telephony device is one of a plain old telephone device and a private branch exchange system.

31. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for providing a n-ways conferencing, comprising:

first instructions for receiving requests at a connection topology manager for a conference service from a plurality of telephony devices, wherein at least one of a telephony device in the plurality of telephony devices has three-way mixing capability, and wherein each telephony device in the plurality of telephony devices sends its mixing capability information to the connection topology manager;

second instructions for determining location information of each telephony device and neighboring telephony devices in the conference service, wherein each telephony device is used for mixing voice signals of its closest neighbors;

third instruction for calculating minimum conference traffic delay for each telephony device in the conference service; and

fourth instruction for building a connection topology for the conference service based on the mixing capability information, location information, and the minimum conference traffic delay, wherein the connection topology manager distributes a mixing computation in a substantially uniform manner across the plurality of telephony devices.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, further comprising:

fifth instruction for detecting a change in a network condition; and

sixth instruction for rebuilding the connection topology to bypass the change in the network condition.

33. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein rebuilding the connection topology to bypass the change in the network condition is performed using a shadow ring.

34. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein the change in the network condition is a telephony device connection failure.

35. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the telephony device connection failure occurs when a participant leaves a conference.

36. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein each telephony device sends probes to other telephony devices in the conference service, wherein information from the probes allows the connection topology manager to determine the network condition and minimum conference traffic delay of the conference service.

37. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein each telephony device sends a signal to the connection topology manager to inform the connection topology manager that the telephony device'"'"'s connections are functioning properly.

38. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein a session initiated protocol is used in building the connection topology.

39. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein each telephony device contains its own mixing capability.

40. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein the mixing capability is built with one of a hardware chip or software program.

41. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein the mixing capability is one of one, three, four, or n-ways.

42. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein a telephony device decodes and encodes an incoming voice stream only if voice activity in the telephony device is present in order to improve voice quality by reducing the number of the mixing operations of a given conference.

43. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the plurality of telephony devices includes at least one passive telephony device, wherein the at least one passive telephony device cannot accept additional code.

44. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the at least one passive telephony device calls the connection topology manager multiple times to indicate its mixing capability to the connection topology manager.

45. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the at least one passive telephony device is one of a plain old telephone device and a private branch exchange system.